| WSU Alum To Lead State Social and Health Services Agency | June 19, 2000 |
| Gov. Gary Locke today named Dennis Braddock, a former state lawmaker and health-care reformer from Seattle, to be secretary of the state Department of Social and Health Services. | |
| Governor appoints Matthew Moore as WSU student regent | May 25, 2000 |
| Gov. Gary Locke has appointed student Matthew Moore, of Ephrata, to the WSU Board of Regents. | |
| Legislature and Governor Complete Work On President Smith`s Final Legislative Agenda | May 11, 2000 No. 18 |
| Gov. Gary Locke has completed action on legislation affecting WSU for this year, sealing the success of President Smith`s
final WSU legislative campaign. The university voluntarily returned $1.4 million in second-year enrollment funding but bills
passed by the 2000 Legislature provide $2.85 million more to the university than previously budgeted overall and set its annual
GF-S operating appropriation at $196.9 million. A new funding formula for WSU Tri-Cities, a new boiler for the Pullman power plant, and a new WSU Cancer Research Center in Spokane are among the highlights. | |
| Governor signs WSU supplemental budget | April 28, 2000 No. 17 |
| Weary legislators rolled out a House-Senate compromise supplemental budget April and passed it within
hours. Gov. Gary Locke signed the compromise budget May 2 with WSU`s support. The budget funded the enrollment growth that WSU requested and used an Initiative 601 fund to pay for Pullman power plant improvements. Updated May 3. | |
| Governor releases revised budget, calls for special session Monday | April 20, 2000 No. 16 |
| Gov. Gary Locke released a budget this morning in hopes that it will end the budget stalemate between House and Senate
budget negotiators. It is a budget proposal for higher education that WSU supports. He has called a special session for Monday | |
| Legislators adjourn without passing a budget, mini-session upcoming | April 7, 2000 No. 15 |
| After 89 continuous days in regular and special sessions, the 56th Washington Legislature adjourned Friday morning, April 7, without passing a supplemental budget. | |
| Both House and Senate budgets fund more students at all WSU campuses this fall | March 24, 2000 No. 14 |
| The approaches to enrollment are the primary difference in the WSU section of the budget. Both bill versions provide $3.6 million for a new boiler at the Pullman power plant and fund the Spokane Health Sciences Initiative at $450,000. WSU believes either enrollment scenario will work adequately for the university to fund the institution through the balance of the 1999-2001 biennium. | |
| House passes bipartisan budget supported by WSU | March 22, 2000 No. 13 |
| The 259-page bipartisan supplemental House budget, wearing a bold 49
49" logo on its cover, passed the full House of Representatives on an overwhelming 85-13 vote tonight. That sets up negotiations between
House members and Senators on a final budget that appears likely to remain very favorable to WSU. | |
| Legislature adopts a new optional retirement system for PERS 2 employees | March 17, 2000 No. 12 |
| About 2,000 WSU employees could opt to participate in a new retirement program approved by the Washington Legislature that has split defined benefit/defined contribution provisions. | |
| Senate Passes Revised Supplemental Budget With WSU Improvements During First Day of Special Session | March 10, 2000 No. 11 |
| The first day of the special session of the Legislature opened abruptly with the state Senate passing a new revised supplemental budget with a break-through enrollment funding mechanism. This 27-18 passage of the supplemental budget was hailed by WSU as a measure leading to a final legislative solution that will bring a bright future for the once-embattled WSU Tri-Cities campus. | |
| Special Session Begins Today | March 9, 2000 |
| Bulletin: A new Senate budget is expected to be made public as an immediate special legislative session has been called by Gov. Gary Locke. | |
| Legislators Rally Around WSU Campuses, Tri-Cities Compromise Probable | March 8, 2000 No. 10 |
| Displaying the kind of solidarity that has typified legislators from WSU campus communities in recent years, Republican lawmakers who represent Pullman`s 9th Legislative District rallied to assist WSU Tri-Cities this week. Meanwhile, House Democrats led by Rep. Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, (and backed by Democrats from the branch campus communities) continue to reject any Senate or House GOP proposals for unwanted base budget reductions at any of the campuses, including WSU Pullman. | |
| Senate Plan Puts $5 million of WSU`s Current Budget at Risk | March 5, 2000 No. 9 |
| A higher education budget that imposes tough penalties on WSU if student enrollments don`t grow by 506 students has passed the state Senate 32-16. Money has been added for the Health Sciences Initiative. | |
| WSU & SIRTI Reach Agreement | February 29, 2000 No. 8 |
Washington State University and the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute signed a landmark "Memorandum of Understanding." But legislative funding remains in doubt.
Patricia Stanford, the widow of former Seattle School District Superintent John Stanford, has been appointed to the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
West bill passes Appropriations Committee. | |
| Tuition Waiver Bill Supported by WSU | February 28, 2000 No. 7 |
| Senate Bill 6010, a crucial bill allowing WSU to waive tuition for eligible students, had a hearing Saturday before the House Appropriations Committee. Update: Committee approves the bill. | |
| House Demos Improve Campus Budgets But Spokane Plan Unfunded | February 24, 2000 No. 6 |
| House Democratic leaders rejected many of the cuts to WSU that were contained in a House Republican budget released late last week. | |
| House GOP Plan Makes Cuts At All Campuses- Slashes WSU Tri-Cities Budget 28 percent | February 19, 2000 No. 5 |
| The proposed House GOP budget would have negative impacts on many programs throughout the Washington State University system but dealt WSU Tri-Cities an especially crippling $1.45 million cut. | |
| Lane Rawlins Named WSU President/Senators Praise President Smith | February 17, 2000 No. 4 |
| Lane Rawlins, the president of the University of Memphis, has been named the ninth president of Washington State University. Meanwhile, President Sam Smith was honored on the state Senate floor. (This is the best copy of this document.) | |
| University Offers Solution For WSU Tri-Cities Enrollment Funding Inequity | February 15, 2000 No. 3 |
| WSU Tri-Cities receives about $1,500 to $2,000 less per student from the state than other branch campuses with similar programs. The university proposes reducing the Tri-Cities enrollment target without reducing funding. | |
| The 2000 Legislature is the second-longest continuously-running even-year sessions in 111 years of state history | January 1, 2000 |
| Olympia Updates from 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996 are now posted for viewing. Just click on CAPITOL NEWS in the left hand column of the legislative information page...and scroll to the bottom. Click the year you want to view. | |
| Governor`s 2000-2001 Budget Provides for Possible Expanded Role for WSU at Spokane`s SIRTI | December 22, 1999 No. 2 |
| Gov. Gary Locke has earmarked $600,000 in new WSU health sciences research and commercialization at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI.) The proposal could lead to additional cancer research and clinical trials at SIRTI and increased WSU efforts to promote biotechnology firms and additional “commercialization” activities in Spokane. Funding would result in recruitment of an outstanding faculty member in manipulation of processes that influence cancer growth and metastases, and the assistants to support the research. It would position the Riverpoint campus and the Spokane Medical Community to assist in efforts by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and others working in the Pacific Northwest.
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| House & Senate Budgets Fund $3.6 million for Pullman Power Plant | November 17, 1999 No. 1 |
| A $3.6 million emergency university budget request to correct some vital maintenance problems at the 65-year-old power plant on the Pullman campus is now under consideration by the Legislature. This updates a report published on Nov. 17, 1999. The House Republican, House Democratic, and Senate Democratic budgets fund the proposal recommended by Gov. Gary Locke. | |
